


Family is Made in the Heart

by Miss_Nihilist



Category: Astro Boy (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Brotherly Love, Enemies to Friends, Families of Choice, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25120192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Nihilist/pseuds/Miss_Nihilist
Summary: "Are you okay?" Astro knelt over the hunched up form, letting the kid catch his breath. "What’s your name? I can help you find your parents."There was another rattling cough, then the kid lifted his head and Astro froze. "My name is Toby," he said, wiping the dust from hisveryfamiliar face. "Toby Tenma."
Relationships: Atom | Astro Boy & Dr. Tenma | Dr. Boynton, Atom | Astro Boy & Tenma Tobio
Comments: 44
Kudos: 104





	1. Reflection

**Author's Note:**

> I have seen this idea a few times, but not really done in the way that I want to do it. I know Toby was vaporized by the Peacekeeper, not absorbed, making this turn of events impossible, but that's what AUs are for.

The pile of rubble was shifting.

At first, Astro had assumed that some of the chunks were settling, as the bigger pieces left over from the explosion of the Peacekeeper sank to the bottom and the lighter ones were forced out of the way. But after the fifth time his eyes had been drawn over to it by movement, he could no longer pretend that there was no intent behind the actions.

Muttering quick apologies, Astro dropped off of Zane's shoulders and squeezed his way through the cheering crowd with a smile fixed on his face, though his eyes never left the rubble. Someone might have been pinned beneath it when it all came crashing down. He couldn't just leave someone to asphyxiate or bleed out. Astro heard his friends' voices calling for him, Doctor Elefun asking what was wrong, his dad calling for him to come back, and he ignored all of them.

Free of the crowding bodies, Astro's vision automatically adjusted itself. He blinked, stunned to find that he apparently had heat signature vision, but got used to it quickly and focused. There was definitely someone struggling beneath the rubble, about the size of a child.

"Hold on!" Astro called, running the rest of the way over to it. The crowd was muttering behind him, confused and worried, and Astro was still light-headed from having essentially just woken up from death. Both things were filtered out. "I'm going to get you out of there, just try not to move too much. It'll be okay!" Astro was trying to sound soothing as he called to the trapped kid, but if anything the squirming only seemed to get worse. He wasn't surprised. Adrenaline and raw panic could have that effect.

He didn't want to cause the pile to collapse by ruining the structural integrity, but the kid's clawing and struggling were already doing that, so Astro just grabbed the biggest pieces and started throwing them to the side like they were made of papier-mâché. To him, they weighed barely anything. To a child, they would be a death sentence.

There were several heart-pounding seconds where the heat signature went very, very still, but then Astro yanked a huge chunk of metal out of the way and heard the sound of someone coughing, struggling for air. He grinned, relieved, and stuck his arm through the pieces still in his way. The numerous sharp and jagged edges bounced harmlessly off his tough skin and Astro blindly fumbled around before closing his fingers around the fabric of the kid's jacket. Slowly, not wanting to tear open anything on the metal, Astro began pulling up. Even though he didn't need to breathe, he found himself holding his breath.

The kid's head came out and he (Astro was fairly certain now that the kid was a boy) doubled over in a coughing fit that racked his whole body. The crowd watching them, standing a little too close for Astro to be comfortable, erupted into another round of applause.

"Are you okay?" Astro asked quietly, rubbing circles in the boy's back. He knelt over the hunched up form, letting the kid catch his breath before moving them both on to solid ground. Although, maybe calling him "kid" was being a little unrealistic. He looked to be the same age as Astro. "What's your name? I can help you find your parents."

There was another rattling cough that made Astro think he should get an ambulance, then the kid lifted his head and Astro stopped thinking about anything at all. "My name is Toby," he said, wiping the dust from his _very_ familiar face. "Toby Tenma. My dad is… I have his p-phone number… if that… helps?"

His statement trailed off, tilting up into a question on the end as their eyes met. Neither of them moved. Astro completely forgot that they had an audience, despite the whispering that had broken out. He could hear Cora trying to get his attention and his dad was—

 _His dad_.

It was Doctor Tenma's voice that broke the deadlock. Astro _screamed_ , only getting more and more freaked out when he realized that his scream was being echoed perfectly by the kid— by _Toby_. He stumbled back and fell off of the pile, landing with a clatter in the jagged pieces of metal and rubble at the base. The jolt of a collision at least made Astro snap his mouth shut but it took Toby a few seconds more to stop screaming. He hadn't fallen off, but Astro was no longer worried about his apparent duplicate.

"Dad!" Astro scrambled to his feet and darted over to Doctor Tenma, clutching his shirt and tugging frantically. His friends were watching (and oh, they were probably confused about why a robot was calling a human "dad," because he had forgotten in the rush of everything that happened to explain everything to them) and visibly concerned, but Astro ignored them. "Dad, he's— it's—! M-My face is…!" He touched a hand to his throat and one to his cheek, eyes wide in horror. Astro would have loved to explain himself, but how could he when he had no idea what was going on?

Calm, if not a tad confused, Tenma got down on one knee and set a hand on Astro's shoulder. "Alright, take deep breaths," he coaxed, even though they both knew that Astro had no need for air. He did as his dad said anyway and having something to focus on at least helped a little bit. Tenma smiled. "Now, whatever it is, it's going to be okay. Tell me what happened. Where's that boy you rescued?"

With a shaky hand, Astro pointed toward where he had left Toby. He didn't need to look. "Over there," he muttered.

As if on cue, Toby managed to push himself up to his feet. He started down the side of the pile of rubble and tripped, catching himself on hands and knees against the pavement with a grunt. A bystander — a woman with brown hair that Astro didn't recognize — came forward to help Toby to his feet. She started to say something, but he was quick to pull away from her. "I'm f-fine," Toby said, panic making his voice tight. "I'm just looking for my dad. I don't—" Then his head swiveled around and his eyes locked with Astro's. Again.

The grip that Astro had on Tenma's shirt tightened, but it meant nothing. He could feel his dad trembling as recognition hit. The hand on Astro's shoulder was lifted and Tenma straightened up. "Toby?" He asked, barely a whisper. As if speaking too loudly would cause the boy in front of him to disappear.

The way that Toby's face lit up at the sound of his name, at the sight of his dad, was answer enough. "Dad!" He shouted.

He ran forward, still short of breath and covered in dust and stumbling every couple of steps. It didn't matter. Astro stepped out of the way automatically and Toby fell into Tenma's arms, clutching his dad like he was going to die if he let go.

Unable to look away from the sight, Astro felt like he was going to be sick.

"Oh, Toby…" Tenma muttered. He suddenly pulled away, holding Toby at arms' length and looking between him and the pile with confusion. "But you were… And it's been so long…" There was an unreadable expression on his face as he touched a hand to Toby's cheek. No doubt, it would feel like real skin and be warm to the touch. "Are you…?" He couldn't ask the question that he needed to know the answer to. Astro, chest squeezing with pity and dread, took a step toward them.

"He's human," Astro said softly. He had been trying not to startle Toby, but it didn't help. As soon as he heard his own voice, Toby yanked out of Tenma's hold and skirted around him, clutching his shirt and hiding behind his leg like he was a toddler again. Astro ignored it and looked up at his dad. Or, well, he tried to. He couldn't quite meet Tenma's eyes. "He's human and he's alive. I don't know how, but…" He gestured at Toby awkwardly. "That much is obvious."

It almost seemed like Doctor Tenma was going to faint. He kept looking between Astro and Toby, as if they didn't have the exact same face, like something was going to magically become clear to him if he looked just one more time.

Astro glanced over at Cora and Zane, standing off to the side with Widget and Sludge. They were whispering along with the rest of the crowd, but when she noticed him staring, Cora scowled and mouthed, " _What the fuck?"_ Any proper explanation was too complicated to mouth, so Astro looked away. He noticed Doctor Elefun still lingering, trying to find some way to cut in but not sure what he even wanted to say. None of it mattered.

As soon as Tenma processed the truth, Astro knew that it would be over for him. He was going to be deactivated, again, and it would be permanent. His dad didn't need him anymore, not if he could have the flesh-and-blood son that he lost. Astro was rehearsing what he was going to say in his mind. He wouldn't fight it if his dad wanted to deactivate him. Maybe being compliant would make Tenma more reasonable and he would let Astro say goodbye to his friends and Doctor Elefun and Orrin before he pulled the plug for the last time.

It hadn't been a very long life, but Astro told himself that there were worse ways to die. He clung to that. At least his life hadn't been meaningless. Tenma had his son back and had learned how to appreciate Toby. That meant that there was hope for one of them to be happy.

"Alright, hold on a minute!" Cora's shout cut through the deafening silence as she stalked forward. Astro, panicking, tried to gesture for her to stay back, but she ignored him. With Zane hot on her heels and the twins scrambling after them, she was a woman on a mission.

Knowing that she couldn't push Astro out of the way, Cora settled for stopping in front of him, arms crossed over her chest protectively. Zane mirrored her stance but shot Astro a helpless look over his shoulder. There was a surge of fondness in Astro's chest at the sight. They didn't even know what was happening — frankly, Astro didn't, either — and they were still all too willing to defend him.

"What exactly is going on here?" Cora demanded, looking between Tenma and Toby as though either of them was in any position to answer her. "I know who you are." She pointed an accusatory finger at Tenma. "You're a scientist, Doctor Tenma, Head of the Ministry of Science. Yeah, I've seen pictures of you. The Surface isn't as primitive as you think." She rolled her eyes. Inwardly, Astro cringed. He knew that the most Cora had ever heard of his dad came from Hamegg and there was a good chance that absolutely none of it had been kind. "But just who the hell are _you_ supposed to be?" Her glare turned on Toby and he froze, caught between shrinking back and returning her anger.

The accusation being leveled at his son caused Tenma to bristle, but he hadn't even opened his mouth before someone else beat him to it. "Yeah!" Zane joined in, pointing to Toby. "And why do you have Astro's face?"

Caught off guard, Astro jostled slightly when Widget suddenly threw her arms around his waist. "Are you a clone?" She fired back.

At Astro's side, Sludge made his best attempt at a fighting stance. "Or an evil twin?"

Tenma looked between all of the children in front of him, somewhere between furious and confused. Again, though, he didn't get the chance to speak.

" _His_ face?" Toby stepped out from behind Tenma, balling his hands into fists at his side. The confusion was gone and, in its place, there was only anger. "If anyone's the clone, it's _him_!" Toby shouted. "He's not even wearing clothes! You can't just take my identity! I'm Toby Tenma, and I'll—" He faltered. "I— I can prove it, i-if I have to! I'm the only one of me that there's ever been! Right, dad?" He looked to Tenma for confirmation, desperate.

"Wait." Cora suddenly slumped, losing the tense posture as she cupped her chin in thought. She squinted at Toby, looking him up and down, and Astro felt his entire body seize up. "You're… Toby? But then… That name…" Her eyes widened and that was it. Astro knew exactly what was running through her head.

It had been a brief interaction almost a month ago, just nine words that Astro shouldn't have said. He could hear Cora's question and his own answer like it was yesterday.

" _So, what_ is _your name?"_

" _Um, Toby. But that's not who I really am."_

Slowly, Cora turned to him. Astro forced himself to meet her eyes, his expression grim. She finally knew what was going on and he couldn't help but wish that she didn't. When Astro didn't say anything, only held her horrified stare, the blood drained from Cora's face. "No," she breathed. "No way. Tell me that he didn't… That you're not…"

Astro looked down at the ground, shuffling his boots nervously. "You already know the answer, Cora," he muttered, begging. "Don't make me say it outloud. Please."

She didn't, but Astro almost would have preferred that as he watched Cora stumble away from him. There were tears in her eyes as she pressed her hands over her mouth, gripping the sides of her face as though that was the only thing keeping her from blurting the truth out for the whole world to hear. Cora took in a deep breath and let it out as a weak sob. "I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered between her fingers. Then she turned around, away from him, and took off. Astro didn't try to stop her. He watched Cora shove her way through the bystanders, so desperate to get away that it took mere seconds. A small, envious part of him wished that he could join her.

There was a shout of, "Cora!" before Zane was taking off after her. Astro could tell that Widget and Sludge were torn, both of them looking up at him with big, confused eyes. He forced a smile that was more of a grimace, then nudged them forward. With his permission, the twins didn't hesitate. Their shouts of Cora's name mixed with Zane's, gradually growing so faint that even Astro couldn't hear them anymore.

Without the distractions, Tenma finally took the reins of the conversation. He cleared his throat and set his hands on Toby's shoulders, kneeling down in front of him the way that he had for Astro not a minute before. A cocktail of emotions swirled in Astro's chest at the thought and not one of them was pleasant.

"Listen, Toby," Tenma began gently. "You've been gone for a long time. You may not remember it, but there were months when I was so… lonely and guilty and regretful. I want you to remember that I only did what I did out of love. I never expected… this." He gestured to Toby with a shaky smile, as though he still couldn't quite believe that what he was looking at was real.

Unfortunately, Toby didn't share that sentiment. With a shout of frustration, he shoved Tenma's hand off of him. "Would you just tell me directly what's going on?" Toby begged, sounding on the verge of a breakdown. "Gone? _Months_? And this…!" He gestured frantically at Astro. "What is he, a robot?"

Astro winced. And that was all the answer needed.

He watched with grim acceptance as realization slowly dawned on Toby's face. The crowd was slower to catch on, but Astro knew when they understood because he heard the exclamations of disgust and aghast mutterings. He clenched his jaw and suffered through it.

Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder. Astro looked over, surprised, and met the grimacing face of Doctor Elefun. He gave Astro a reassuring squeeze before dropping his hand and turning to Toby and Tenma. "Perhaps," he suggested softly, "we should move this conversation to somewhere more private?"

Looking anxious, Tenma nodded. He set a hand on Toby's shoulder, trying to nudge him into taking steps toward where he had left his limo. "Excellent suggestion, Elefun. Come on, Toby, let's—"

They hadn't made it one step when Toby let out a shout and ripped himself free from Tenma's grasp. "No! I'm not going anywhere with that _thing_!" He didn't point at Astro or even so much as glance in his direction, but it was obvious what he was talking about. Toby curled in on himself and it was starting to look like he was hyperventilating. "I _died,_ didn't I?" He wheezed. "I died and you— you replaced me! You replaced me with a robot as if nothing ever happened! You didn't just give it my face, you gave it my _identity_!"

Tenma's expression hardened. He had been panicked just moments before, but Astro knew from memories of his past tantrums (or, Toby's past tantrums) just how suddenly Tenma could slip into his stern fatherly attitude. "Toby, that's enough," he said firmly. "I understand why you're upset, but I won't have you talking about him like that."

There was a surge of hope in Astro's chest. Had he heard that correctly? His dad was defending him, and to his _real_ son, of all people. He had expected that Tenma wouldn't want anything to do with him now that the real Toby was back, but maybe—!

"Are you _serious_?" Toby's jaw was practically unhinged. "It's just a robot! No, it's less than that! It's just a copy!" He whirled on Astro then, his expression drawn into rage as his balled-up fists trembled at his side. "A worthless, inferior _machine_!"

" _Toby_!" Two voices cut through the insults and Doctor Tenma and Doctor Elefun stared at each other in shock.

For a moment, Elefun seemed to be on the verge of apologizing for overstepping his boundaries, but Tenma shook his head and the shorter man shrank back. Elefun's hand came to rest on Astro's back and he sank into the comforting touch, grateful. Every accusation that Toby flung at him stung like a whip. And the worst part was, he wasn't _wrong_. Astro was just a copy, and not a very good one. Being Toby was all he had been created to do and he couldn't even do _that_ correctly.

Collecting himself, Tenma shot a withering glare at the crowd. People turned away when they met his eyes, but no one left. The morbid fascination kept them all whispering. Tenma did his best to ignore it and cleared his throat. "Toby," he said more gently, though his tone still left no room for argument. "We're going to discuss this matter further, but we're not going to do it in public. Come on. We will finish this back at the penthouse." Tenma looked at Astro and smiled. " _All_ of us."

Despite the glare that Toby was still shooting his way, Astro couldn't help but beam. At least he still had his father's acceptance. The gnawing thought that it was just a trick, a ploy to make him lower his guard, lingered in the back of Astro's mind, but he ignored that. His dad wasn't a liar. He found it to be a waste of time. And Tenma knew already that Astro wouldn't fight it if he wanted to shut him off.

Putting a hand on Toby's back to guide him, Tenma led him forward and looked over his shoulder, gesturing Astro over. He managed a grateful smile for Doctor Elefun, then pointedly ignored everyone's questioning stares as he jogged to catch up with his dad.

The silence on the walk back to the limo was suffocating and tense, but it wasn't enough to quench the bubbling hope in Astro's chest. He would have to explain himself further to Cora, and Toby definitely didn't like him… But Doctor Tenma accepted Astro as his own person, not just Toby's copy. That was a vast improvement even when compared to a few hours ago.

It was progress. Astro could work with that.


	2. Overflowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, it's been almost a month since I posted the first chapter of this. Sorry about that. The third (and final chapter) will be faster!

Saying that the drive back to the penthouse was "awkward" was the understatement of the century.

Tenma sat across from both boys, which he did on purpose because not only was it absolutely _imperative_ that he not show any favoritism, but he was also still struggling to absorb the bizarre turn that the evening had taken.

It had been unusual from the beginning, but then again, nothing in Tenma's life had been normal since the day that Toby, well, _almost_ died. The silence in the back of the limo was thick enough to smother, but Tenma barely noticed. He couldn't stop looking between his two sons, taking in the differences, using it to reassure himself that it was all _real_ , the last few months had _actually_ happened.

From the position of a roboticist, Tenma couldn't help but find himself impressed with his own work. His robot was nearly a perfect copy of Toby, with the differences only being obvious upon getting a closer look. Things like robot Toby's lack of pores, or how his hair was styled so neatly that a human would need glue to get a similar effect, or how his eyes sometimes grew glassy or the way that he turned his head to get a better angle as he fiddled with his additional vision and hearing settings out of boredom.

The human Toby wasn't fiddling with anything at all, though. He sat there with his arms crossed, squeezed against the side of the car as far away as possible from the robot that he was sharing the seat with. It was clear that he was upset, and he had a good reason to be, but Dr. Tenma had no idea how to fix it.

It was both a blessing and a curse when they eventually arrived: a blessing, because the air outside of the limo wasn't thick with tension, and a curse because it meant that Tenma was running out of excuses to delay the inevitable discussion.

He stepped out of the limo first without waiting for Orrin to come around and open the door for him. Actually, Orrin looked to be about on the verge of a nervous breakdown, clenching the wheel tightly with firm hands while the rest of him was shaking. Tenma thought it was best to let him be for a few hours. And, anyway, having him around during the conversation that was soon to come probably wouldn't help.

"Come along, then, Toby," Tenma said reflexively. He paused though, turning back to the limo. The robot had gotten out on the same side as Tenma while the human opened the door to go around the other way. "And, uh…" Tenma's mind drew a blank.

"Astro," his robotic son spoke up. "You can call me Astro." He turned a faint shade of red when Tenma's only response was to stare. "I mean— I-it's not like you can call us both Toby."

That much was true. Tenma rolled the name around in his head for a moment. It didn't suit him, exactly, but it was better than causing confusion by calling them both Toby. "Alright," he agreed. "Astro and Toby, then. We should get inside. There's still a lot between us to discuss regarding the future."

Toby snorted. " _Us_? I hope that doesn't include the robot. I don't have anything to say to _it_." He stalked past them both, storming away from the limo and into the penthouse lobby.

It could be worse. The penthouse building could have been destroyed during the Peacekeeper's rampage. Tenma ignored the dread starting to build in his stomach and clung to that much, at least.

Forcing a strained smile onto his face, Tenma set a hand on Astro's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. That name was going to take some getting used to, but he was already warming up to it. Two different names for two _vastly_ different sons. Tenma could learn to live with it. And them.

"Let's get inside," Tenma suggested, nudging Astro forward. He didn't seem _thrilled_ with the idea, but at least followed his father without looking miserable. "We'll need to divy up your things. You need your own clothes. And we aren't short on space, so at least you both don't have to share a room." Tenma was rambling mostly to fill the awkward space being propped up by silence, though it did help him work through his thoughts.

He was barely capable of being a father to one son. He was desperately trying to avoid thinking about the monumental task of caring for two. Not that Tenma didn't love them both, but he didn't know how to say that or how to show it, or how to smooth over the mistakes he had made, or how to continue going forward, or how he was going to balance it all with his job, with fixing Metro City and keeping the government off of his back and keeping his sons dressed and fed and housed…

Well, Astro didn't strictly _need_ to eat. That was a small blessing.

It looked for a moment like Astro wanted to say something, but he shut his mouth quickly and kept walking. Tenma was glad for it. He didn't have the space in between his conflicting thoughts for smalltalk.

And he got the feeling that there was a hell of an argument waiting for him upstairs.

Inside the penthouse building, the lobby was thoroughly trashed from the hectic rush of people to leave the building and the temporary free fall. Everything that could be knocked over was and more than a few things were broken. Tenma almost reminded Astro to avoid the broken glass, but swallowed the remark when his robotic son trudged right through it with a dull crunching sound. Right. Metal feet.

It looked like Toby had gone on ahead of them. The elevator wasn't working, but the door to the stairwell had been propped open. Tenma didn't blame him for running off, but he wished that Toby would stay in one place. Every time his son was out of sight, a part of Tenma was convinced that he wouldn't be coming back.

They climbed the stairs in silence and it took longer to get to the top floor than Tenma was expecting it to. That was probably due, in large part, to his age, not to mention the fact that Tenma hadn't climbed stairs in years. He noticed Astro slowing down for him and found it a little amusing. More importantly, he saw Astro's chest rising and falling with labored and completely unnecessary breaths. Tenma had designed hundreds of involuntary reactions like that. Physical exertion made humans tired, even if Astro no longer had muscles to exercise. It was all about looking the part.

It was quiet as they entered the penthouse, the door left half-way open. Everything was in disarray, but Tenma hadn't expected anything else. The living room couch had been toppled over, the holoprojector was broken, and one of the large bay windows had been shattered, dusting the floor around it with tiny bits of glass like a snowfall. Repairing everything was going to take a while.

Tenma set a hand on Astro's shoulder and said nothing. Their home was broken, in more ways than one, but that didn't mean that it wasn't salvageable.

He turned to the stairs at the sound of footsteps and, after crossing the open kitchen, Toby came into view with a mixture of confusion and worry on his face. "What happened?" He asked, gesturing around him. "I mean, this is all… Did the entire city get hit with a tornado?"

How was he supposed to answer that? Everything else was so hectic at the moment that Tenma had all but forgotten what happened not thirty minutes before, with the Peacekeeper.

"I, um…" Tenma glanced at Astro, who just looked uncomfortable. He was feeling a headache setting in, but it was fine. One step at a time. Surely, Tenma could manage two thirteen-year-olds? Right. He sighed. "I owe both of you an explanation. But first things first, Toby, you need food and I want to check you for any injuries. Astro, you too. You got knocked around badly in that fight and I want to make sure nothing is damaged."

He saw Toby's eyes widen at the mention of a fight, but he didn't ask. Tenma could tell that he was curious, though. He walked over to the couch and managed to straighten it without too much difficulty. Astro probably could have done it faster, but he was supposed to be a child. It was time that Tenma started acting like the adult. With the couch situation fixed, Tenma shoved the biggest pieces of glass out of the way with his foot and gestured for both of his boys to sit. At least Toby was wearing shoes.

There was a muttered complaint from Toby when he sat down on the couch, again positioning himself as far away from Astro as possible, but Tenma didn't acknowledge it. He was running through a mental checklist. There were some leftovers in the kitchen that Tenma could heat up quickly, but the priority for Toby was water. Tenma had noticed him limping a little and rubbing his shoulder, so he was going to check for bruising and call a doctor if Toby reported the pain being worse in the morning. Assuming that doctors were still functioning after the disaster and so long as Toby didn't have anything worse, like a concussion. He didn't have anything on hand for robot repair, but Astro could run a system scan to make sure everything was alright and they could go to the Ministry in the morning for cosmetic fixes, like those scratches or the seam in Astro's arm where his shoulder had been detached. Detached, when he…

When he died.

Too many thoughts. Tenma had to force himself to move. One thing at a time. He couldn't just stand there frozen with indecision when his children needed him.

First things first, Tenma grabbed a pack of leftovers from the fridge and shoved it into the heater. He had no idea what it was, but he had leftovers stacked for days. Orrin was a good cook. It shouldn't be a problem for Toby to finish. While that was heating, Tenma set down a plate and got a glass of water. As a second thought, he grabbed a fork. There. That was something.

He dumped the heated food out onto the plate. Apparently, Tenma had grabbed grilled chicken and a side of steamed vegetables. Good. Those things were healthy. He made sure that they felt warm enough before carrying the plate and drink back into the living room.

Still sitting down, Astro hadn't moved, whereas it was clear that Toby had been fidgeting and squirming. He didn't seem sated by the idea of food, but took it from Tenma without protesting. Rather than eating it, Toby took a sip of water and made a face. "What about…?" He trailed off, tipping his head toward Astro.

It took Tenma a moment to catch on. "Ah. Yes, well, Astro doesn't need to eat," Tenma said carefully. "He has a self-generating power source and it's very efficient."

Toby scoffed softly, putting the glass between his legs to pick at his food. "So _now_ you're treating it like a robot?" He sneered.

Tenma was too strained at the moment to be angry. He felt himself frown, upset and disappointed, but it felt like his emotions were lagging. He was stuck at the laboratory, clutching Toby's singed hat and sobbing harder than he had in his life. He was holding the Blue Core in his hands and Astro's limp body, dressed in singed and torn clothes, wavered in front of him as tears blurred his vision.

He looked over at Astro and, seeing the crushed look on his son's face, Tenma forced himself to remain present. He pinched his thigh discreetly to ground himself, straightening up and taking a deep breath. "I'm going to treat Astro like a robot because he _is_ a robot," Tenma managed. "But just because he's a robot doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve respect. Astro has agency as his own person, Toby." He ignored the dumbstruck look on Toby's face and caught Astro's smile. Finally, Tenma had said something right. And it only took him thirteen years. "Speaking of being robotic… Astro, do you feel damaged at all?"

Instinctively, Astro grabbed his right shoulder. Tenma had to cover a wince at the sudden motion. Both of his sons had died, yet there they were, sitting in front of him. Why? He knew that he didn't deserve such a blessing.

"Everything feels fine, dad," Astro said, dropping his hand. Apparently, he had sensed Tenma's discomfort and looked unsure himself. "I mean, as far as I can tell, anyway."

Desperate to change the subject, Tenma hummed thoughtfully. There was nothing to do for the scrapes other than patch them up, or leave them if Astro thought it added character, but just to be on the safe side… "Can you run a system diagnostic for me, Astro?" He asked. "I want to make sure that there's nothing severely wrong."

There was an awkward pause. Astro glanced over at Toby, then cleared his throat and looked at his hands nervously folded in his lap. "I… don't know how to do that," he admitted.

Right. Well, Tenma supposed that made sense. It wasn't as though he had given Astro an instructional manual before disowning him. The memory made him grimace. "That's fine," he said dismissively. "Computer, initiate voice access for unit 002132/1421." As Tenma finished his serial number, Astro's eyes flashed blue by way of confirmation. "Initiate system scan, ensure all sections are operating at max efficiency, compile list of potential needed repairs."

The command was processed with an affirming beep. " _Woah_." Astro let out a soft noise of surprise and leaned back. "That's a lot of numbers," he breathed, entranced by the scroll of data overlaid over his normal vision.

A fond smile came to Tenma's face but, before he could reply, there was a loud groan from Toby as he shot Astro a frustrated look. "Are you _kidding_?" He threw his hands up. "It takes _voice commands_ and you still want to treat it like— l-like it's as good as me!"

"Toby!" Tenma reacted impulsively and immediately regretted it, upsetting himself with the volume of his own voice. He took a moment to gather a more reasonable response. "Where is this coming from? You always loved robots," he tried. That was something, right? A start. Some way to understand why Toby was so _angry_. Tenma had expected discomfort, but not _this_.

"Uh, yeah, of course I did!" Toby threw his hands up in frustration. "They were basically a slightly smarter and noticeably more expensive toy. They aren't _people_! And _that_ thing—" He pointed furiously at Astro as he got to his feet, "—isn't any more a person than I am a robot."

In hindsight, Tenma probably should have asked Astro to leave the room for this conversation. He set his face into a stern scowl, the look that had cowed Toby so many times before. "That's a gross exaggeration," Tenma said firmly. "If you want to think of Astro as purely mechanical, Toby, then take it from me. I created him. He's just as capable of thought and freewill as you or I am."

That did not, in fact, help Toby to calm down. He instead shook his head rapidly, taking a step toward Tenma and shifting, as though wanting to pace. "You can't honestly believe that," Toby shot back. "Your fingers didn't slip when you were typing in his code? You didn't put an obedience clause in there, or some order for perfection? You didn't _change_ me at all?"

Tenma gaped, genuinely at a loss for words. He had forgotten that they had an audience. Thirteen years flashed by, seared into the back of Tenma's eyelids, a recount of every failure and every mistake he had ever made as a parent.

Was he really _that_ bad, that his son would _expect_ something like that of him?

"Of course I didn't!" Tenma intended it to be a shout, angry or offended, but instead it sounded like he was asking a question. "Toby, I'm your father! I love you just how you are!"

But Toby was shaking his head before Tenma had even finished. "Since when?" He demanded, and it felt like a slap in the face. "Nothing about any of _this_ reminds me of love! Nothing I ever did was enough! No matter how good I was in my classes or how many accolades I won, I mean— I couldn't even _die_ good enough for you!" Toby blinked and there were tears in his eyes, a sob on his lips that he choked down. "I can't believe you thought I was dead and you just _replaced me_! It's like I don't mean anything to you!" He finished with a shout, red-faced and panting and hands knotted into fists at his sides.

What was Tenma supposed to say? His son had been alive again for all of thirty minutes and they were already at each other's throats. Everything that Tenma said was wrong. It had never been so aggressive before with Toby, and even with Astro, it was—

Tenma blinked, surprised to look over and find the spot on the couch empty. Astro wasn't there. But when had he left? Had Tenma really been so absorbed in the argument that he hadn't noticed something so _obvious_?

He had been silent for too long. Toby sniffled softly, wiping his eyes. "It doesn't matter what I do," he said trembling. "You don't care. You never have."

Toby turned around and ran off, glass crunching beneath his shoes as he tore his way out of the room and up the stairs. Numb, Tenma let him go. He had Toby's name on his lips, some half-hearted attempt to try some first-aid, but it fell flat as he deflated.

It was obvious that Toby needed some time to himself. With any luck, Tenma could make at least one correct decision that day.


	3. Enough

Bitterly, Toby couldn't help but wish that doors were still manual. His bedroom door slid open when he approached and closed behind him with a soft click. Toby wanted to pry it open and slam it shut, just so that dad got the message.

And Toby wished that he was angrier, too. He was plenty upset, but there were tears burning his eyes and his throat felt tight from swallowing his sobs and hitching breaths. He was _miserable_ , and he hated it. None of it was fair. As far as he could tell, he had been asleep for a few hours, like taking a nap. But dad said that _months_ had passed, long enough for him to design and program a robot that was so close to human that even Toby hadn't been able to tell the difference until it had been spelled out for him. Was it even the same year? Had Toby aged?

He locked his bedroom door behind him with a huff, wiping at his eyes. Toby planned on curling up under his blankets until dad came to beg for his forgiveness and agreed to get rid of that creepy robot, but as soon as he turned around, he froze.

It was in his room. The copy of him, the poor facsimile of a person, the heartless imposter that his dad had imprinted on for some inane reason, the _robot_ — it was going through Toby's closet as if it had any right.

_There_ was the flood of anger that Toby had been looking for. He barely held himself back from marching over and slamming the closet shut on its arm, but only because he couldn't stand to be any closer and have to look at a mirror of his own face.

So instead, Toby took a step forward and ground out, "What do you think you're doing?"

The robot didn't startle. Of course it didn't. It had probably heard his heartbeats from the living room as assuredly as his approaching footsteps. His dad never did anything half-assed and Toby was willing to bet that it had the most expensive features that government funding could buy. There was an ugly curl of emotion in Toby's stomach, something like bile that stung the back of his throat. He refused to admit that it was jealousy.

It straightened up, holding one of Toby's hoodies in one hand and a pair of sweatpants in the other. He remembered buying those — Toby had chosen something ugly and sloppy in the hopes that his dad might chime in with a tired, " _You should have more respect for how you present yourself, son,"_ but it hadn't gotten a single comment. It seemed like nothing that Toby did ever got his dad's attention.

Nothing short of dying, anyway. And then his dad had gone and given all of his attention to a pile of metal and wires. He had forsaken his son in favor of a robot, _again_.

The robot — Astro, it had called itself — looked at Toby with uncertainty. Then it shrugged. Just a movement of one arm, but it sent chills down Toby's spine, with how familiar it was to him. It had stolen his mannerisms, too, not just his face. "I didn't want to keep walking around practically naked," it said evenly.

And, begrudging though Toby was to admit it, he had to agree. He didn't like seeing himself dressed like that, either. The boots were alright, although Toby couldn't help but think that they were ugly and he wondered why dad would have chosen that design.

"Don't you have any clothes of your own?" Toby asked impatiently. "Those are _mine_."

Astro looked around its— no, _Toby's_ bedroom awkwardly. "Well, um, nothing in here is really _mine_ … It's not like I used any of it while you were…" It trailed off. "I was busy," it eventually settled on. "So you can keep the rest of it. I just want some clothes I can wear until dad takes me shopping for something new."

"Don't call him that!" Toby shouted before he could tell himself not to. "He's not your dad, he's _my_ dad! He only made you to replace me and now that he doesn't need you, you can drop the act. Maybe a circus somewhere will want you, _freak_."

Toby held no delusions — he knew that he was a brat, but even he found himself surprised by how nasty he was. He didn't care. Whether it was the arrogant robot who thought he was doing a better job at being Toby than Toby could, or whether it was his dad, Toby just wanted to yell at someone. He wanted to drag them both down to his level until they were as twisted up inside as he was and screaming themselves hoarse.

He couldn't help but be surprised, though, when the robot scowled. In all his life, Toby had never known a robot to be capable of emotion like that. Orrin was a fumbling moron, but he had been programmed to be "quirky" because housekeeping robots were less disconcerting when they had "personalities." Even the Peacekeeper, when it had been aiming to kill everyone in the test chamber (right before everything had gone red and cold — so, so cold) hadn't had an expression. It had been detached and emotionless right to the very end. Merely operating as dictated by its program.

"It's not an act," Astro shot back. "You're so self-centered. If I _wanted_ to be you, do you think I'd go through the trouble of changing my name?"

There was logic behind that argument, but Toby refused to see it. He rolled his eyes. "You must not have tried very hard if _Astro_ is the best you could come up with."

Another change in emotion. Embarrassed, it looked away from Toby. "Well… I didn't exactly come up with the name," it admitted. "But my friends wanted to know what to call me and that was the only thing I could think to tell them. Other than, well, _your_ name."

That was one thing they didn't share, at least: their names.

"Your friends?" A thought occurred to Toby and he sneered. "You mean those people who turned and ran from you as soon as they pieced together the truth? The ones who couldn't look at you without wanting to vomit? _Those_ are your friends?"

Astro winced. Toby refused to let himself feel guilty. "Yeah," Astro whispered. "Those were my friends."

Empathy bubbled up in his chest and Toby forced himself to ignore it. _He had never had friends._ "You really deserve friends like that," he said sarcastically. "Just take the clothes and get out. We have a dozen unused rooms in this place for you to rust." Toby stomped over to his bed and threw himself down on top of it, as dramatically as possible.

There was a groan from Astro and the sound of fabric hitting the ground — apparently, it was emotionally capable of having a tantrum. Toby willfully ignored the fact that he was doing the same thing. "What is _wrong_ with you?" Astro demanded. "I know you don't hate robots! We love robots, we always have. So what did I do to make you hate me so much? We've only known each other for, like, an hour!"

Toby sat up with a huff, glaring at Astro. "Don't say "we" like you know anything about me," he snapped. "You're not me! We're not the same person!" They couldn't be. Toby didn't know what he would do with himself if they were.

"Yeah, _I_ know that! But that's because I've had a month practically on my own to make memories that are my own!" And the way that Astro said it left a heavy feeling in Toby's chest.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, hating how tiny and scared his voice sounded. "What do you mean by memories of your own?"

Astro had the decency to look embarrassed and a little ashamed. It looked pointedly at the ground. "Dad…" It trailed off. "Uh, Doctor Tenma implanted me with your memories. _Our_ memories, I guess. I probably remember them better than you do, actually. Since I'm a robot."

After everything Toby had already learned about his robotic replacement, that shouldn't have been surprising. Everything clicked into place. It wasn't that dad was an excellent programmer — Astro acted like a human because it _remembered_ being human. It remembered being _Toby_.

"Oh, God." Toby pressed a hand over his mouth, shaking. "That's— that's _sick_. You really think that you're me, don't you?" And dad had been okay with that, had designed Astro _specifically_ for that. His vision was swimming. He felt like he was going to vomit.

He didn't look up but could tell that Astro was scowling by the unimpressed noise it made. "No, I don't think I'm you. Weren't you listening at all?" Silence. Astro didn't say anything or move and Toby was hoping that it would take its ugly clothes and _leave_. He really needed to be alone.

There were footsteps, metal boots padding over the carpet, and Toby squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to look at it for longer than he had to, he just wanted it _gone_.

The bed next to him dipped with added weight and Toby's eyes snapped open.

A hand came to rest carefully between his shoulder blades, the touch cold but so, so gentle. Just like the hand that had pulled Toby from the rubble, where he was pinned and terrified and _couldn't breathe_.

"Here, try this," Astro coaxed. It nudged down and Toby let himself be moved until he was folded in on himself with his head between his knees. "It'll help get rid of the nausea. Take deep breaths."

The irony that a robot had to coax him in something like this wasn't lost on Toby, but he did as he was told. All things considered, taking some deep breaths wasn't as humiliating as throwing up would be. He closed his eyes and felt the twisting feeling in his stomach relax. His anger stayed, but it had dulled, simmering instead of boiling.

"Why do you even care?" Toby asked, voice muffled. He didn't want to straighten up just yet. "I'm not your problem. You don't have to pretend to be invested in me."

The hand on his back was removed, but Astro didn't get up. Toby wasn't sure if he was okay with that or not. "I'm not your nannybot. You could stop and consider that maybe I'm being nice because I _want_ to be nice," Astro said, his tone more joking than it was rude. Which was… surprising.

The answer didn't make sense, though, so Toby straightened up. He moved away a little bit but was still close enough to touch Astro if he wanted to. He raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Why would you want to be nice to me? I think you're an object," Toby reminded it bitterly.

Astro's smile didn't fall, but it tightened. There was a strained tension behind its posture, its expression. Being so close, looking at his own face, Toby felt squeamish again. Even Astro's eyes, highly sophisticated cameras though they were, had been designed to look as similar to Toby's as possible. And they were, in a way. But there was something different about Astro. It looked aged. For a machine, its eyes looked so _tired_.

"Yeah, well…" Astro shrugged. "I don't care what you think about me. I know that I'm a person. How you treat me can change, so it's not fair of me to treat you like garbage over something subjective. I mean," Astro gestured between them, "you're already sitting closer to me than you were before. You wouldn't be doing that if I was insulting you or attacking you, would you?"

Toby opened his mouth and then quickly shut it, lips pursed. He almost moved away, just to be contrary, but had the feeling that doing so would only make Astro laugh at him. So he stayed put. "No, I guess not," he conceded. Why was Astro so nice? They had the same memories, the same life, but Toby couldn't ever remember going out of his way to be kind to someone who had been rude to him. "Do you… want me to like you?"

That was a weird idea: _not_ liking himself. Toby wondered if this made him a narcissist.

The question seemed to confuse Astro, as it frowned before turning red, flustered. "Well, I wasn't really _trying_ to… I mean, not that I…" It floundered for the right words, then settled on, "Why else would I go out of my way to be nice to you? I want us to get along." It sighed. "I'm not leaving any time soon. It took me _so long_ to get dad's acceptance and I just got it." Astro set a hand over its chest, where its heart would be if it were human. "I'm not giving that up now. And dad really missed you, more than anything." Its smile turned sad. "I don't want you to go anywhere, either. Dad couldn't handle it."

There were dozens of questions racing through Toby's head. He forgot to be mad at Astro for saying "dad" instead of "my creator." He thought of how to reply for a long moment, then asked, "What do you mean by taking a while to get dad's acceptance?" Toby rolled his eyes. "I thought he'd love you immediately. You're everything I ever was, and…" He trailed off, "...and better."

The admission got a funny look from Astro but it didn't comment on it. Which was good, because Toby didn't quite know how to put the feeling into words. It slumped, propping its chin in its palm. "It's… complicated," it said with a sigh. "Dad thinks you're perfect. And I'm not you."

"In what ways?" Toby asked snidely, unimpressed.

"The ways that matter." Astro stood up, a faraway look on its face as it stood profiled against the bay windows. "I didn't notice when I first woke up. I still thought that I was you. But once I started noticing, I couldn't _stop_." It made a desperate little noise, grabbing at nothing in particular. "I don't need to breathe anymore. Do you have any idea how _weird_ that is? I can't wiggle my toes. I can't even change my shoes!" It gestured at its ugly boots with a huff. "My skin is basically a bulletproof suit. I can carry hundreds of tons. I can fly, I can shoot lasers, I can drill through solid rock—!" It had been starting to shout, but it suddenly stopped there, deflating with a scowl. It ignored the look of hopelessness on Toby's face, or maybe it didn't notice. "I'm exactly how dad designed me and I _still_ wasn't good enough. Being made of steel and wires didn't change anything."

Swallowing tears, Toby got to his feet, furious for no reason. "Well, why don't you go and complain some more about how amazing and wonderful you are?" He snapped. "It must be _so awful_ being the most powerful robot ever made, you poor thing! Cry me a river and get the hell over yourself."

"I never asked for this!" Astro's voice was nearing a shout, something that made Toby vindictively glad. He couldn't be the only one losing his mind. "I don't want to be indestructible or able to kill people with a sideswipe of my hand! All _we've_ ever really wanted was dad's attention, and—" It paused, losing its anger as quickly as it came. "And we have it, now. Dad's okay with me not being you. And he's really happy to know that you're not dead. Everything's going to work out. You don't need to keep picking a fight with me."

But Toby shook his head before Astro had even finished. "I don't care what dad thinks of me," he lied, still clinging to anger. "He never cared about me—" _About both of them, really,_ "—before, so what makes you so special? He can't accept his own son, but he'll welcome a robot with open arms, is that it?"

"Do you even _know_ what listening means?" Astro snapped, impatient. It pinched the bridge of its nose and collected itself with an exasperated little sigh. "Dad didn't accept me. I'm not you. I'm _obviously_ not you." To demonstrate its point, Astro flashed the flashlights in its eyes on and off. It was just a little party trick, something most robots could do, but Toby felt another rush of awe and jealousy. _He_ didn't have flashlights in his eyes. "This is the first time I've been in this room in a month," Astro said vaguely. "Dad… kicked me out on my first night here. He disowned me." A smile twisted its way onto Astro's face, one without joy. "I've been living on the Surface. That's where I met my friends."

Toby blinked. Then a grin inched its way onto his face and he couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Sorry," he wheezed between fits of laughter, "it's just— you were right! He made you exactly how he wanted you and we still weren't enough!" He wiped at his eyes, realizing that tears were gathering there.

The smile on Astro's face stayed and it chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah. We really weren't." It closed the distance between them and, stunning Toby, Astro wrapped its arms around him.

When was the last time that Toby had been hugged? He couldn't remember. His laughter stuck in his throat, coming out as a strangled little noise of confusion. Astro's arms were around his torso, its chin on Toby's shoulder, and he didn't quite know how to hug someone back so Toby decided to push Astro away. Only, instead of taking back his personal space, Toby carefully put his arms around Astro in turn as his chuckles dissolved into hiccuping sobs.

It felt good to cry. Toby forgot about the awkwardness and forgot that he was supposed to hate Astro and leaned into him, trusting the robot to hold his weight as he let himself go limp. He buried his face in Astro's shoulder, shoulders heaving and only the occasional cry being wrung out as Toby let himself go through the motions.

He sniffled, turning his head to the side when it seemed like the tears had stopped. Toby thought that he ought to straighten up, but didn't move. If Astro was uncomfortable, then it wasn't showing. Or maybe Toby was just bad at reading people. "At least dad didn't like you more than me," he muttered, cold comfort though it was.

Astro hummed his affirmation, tucking his head down. "I don't think that he could ever love anyone more than you."

There was another sting of tears and Toby blinked them away. "I wish that dad would tell me that," he admitted. "I wish it didn't have to take _dying_ for him to start acting like he cares about me."

"If it helps," Astro said, "I care about you, and you haven't had to die again yet."

A startled laugh came from Toby as he finally pulled out of the hug, letting his arms fall to his sides. The corner of his mouth twitched up in amusement. "It's kind of sad when the only person who cares about me is myself," he replied, less joking than he meant it.

"Don't think of it like that." Astro shook his head, grinning. "Remember, I'm not you. I did such a bad job at being you — the one thing I was made for — that dad disowned me by the end of the day. So, hey, things could be worse."

That came out a lot more depressing than Astro probably meant it. The beginnings of a smile on Toby's face fell away. "How was it?" He asked carefully. "After you were disowned, I mean. What did you do?" Toby couldn't imagine what he would do with himself. His life in Metro City was the only one he had ever known, even if it never felt like much of a life.

Something in Toby's tone must have said that they weren't having a fun conversation anymore because Astro frowned. "It's… complicated," he said carefully. "I don't know why, but it didn't click that I was a robot until dad spelled it out for me. By then, I already knew that I could drill through rock and fly and run as fast as a train." His mouth twisted into a grimace. "Dad said he didn't want me, so I took off. What I _didn't_ know was that he'd decided to power me with the Blue Core."

Despite the depressing atmosphere hanging over them, Toby felt his jaw drop. He had seen what the Peacekeeper could do with the Red Core (he had seen it very close and very personally, but everything after that had been black and cold _(so, so cold)_ ). "He put it _inside_ of you?" Toby asked, his gaze flicking up and down Astro's body. He still hadn't put on clothes, but all Toby saw was smooth artificial skin. There was no visible seam for a hatch. Toby was suddenly dying of curiosity — Astro _looked_ perfectly human, but he was still made of steel and wire, wasn't he? "Can I see it?"

Astro thought about it for what felt like a long time. "I guess," he settled on, reluctant.

He pressed a hand over his chest, digging his nails under the seams of his skin that Toby hadn't even noticed before. It almost looked sticky when he pried the panel open, but Toby knew from their hug that Astro's body felt plenty human-like. It even had warmth, probably caused by heat radiation from the Core. Fascination tingled beneath Toby's skin like an itch. His interest pulled him closer, wanting to get a good look.

When Astro opened his chest plate, blue light spilled out and there was a rush of heat. Obviously, Astro had been a robot the whole time, but seeing his "heart" pulsating in its metal containment unit and surrounded by an extensive system of tubes and pipes somehow made it real. And, Toby realized, the irrefutable proof that Astro was a robot — a failure of a robot who couldn't do the one purpose that it had been created to fulfill — didn't do anything to change Toby's opinion on him.

He didn't even care that he was starting to grow fond of Astro.

"President Stone still wanted the Blue Core for the Peacekeeper," Astro continued with his story, staring into his own chest. He was as transfixed by the sight as Toby was. "I was attacked by some soldiers and I ended up getting blown off of the edge of Metro City." He chuckled weakly. "When I woke up, I was on the Surface. Then I met my friends and they showed them where they were living, and..." At the memory of his friends, Astro's smile turned strained. "I guess now we're here."

There was a surge of pity in Toby's chest. He didn't try to ignore it. Reaching out, Toby set a hand on Astro's chest and closed the panel. The light died down but, and maybe Toby was imagining it, he could almost see Blue energy swirling behind Astro's eyes. "You're going to have to explain everything to them," he said lightly.

Astro looked away. "I know." He didn't sound happy about it.

"I could go with you when you do it," Toby offered. He wasn't sure why he said it, knowing how uncomfortable that conversation was probably going to be. Maybe Astro had a point about being kind. "I can help explain things from my side to them."

But more importantly, Astro wouldn't have to face his friends alone. He caught on to Toby's unspoken meaning and smiled. "Thanks," he said, relieved. "There's more to that story after I met my friends, but I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Curiosity made Toby want to push, remembering when dad had mentioned a fight earlier, but he swallowed his disappointment when he saw the look on Astro's face. He understood. There were some things that he didn't want to talk about, either.

(He still felt chilled. How long would it take for him to feel warm again?)

"It's fine." Toby dropped his hand before he could make Astro uncomfortable and shuffled his feet nervously. "And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. About before, how I treated you… I was just mad and I wanted to make you angry, too."

"Yeah." Astro let out a suffering sigh, but his smile was earnest. "I knew that about you."

Toby snorted on laughter, but it didn't last long. He glanced over at the bedroom door. "We should probably go out and talk to dad," he said finally. "He probably thinks that we hate him. Or that we ended up killing each other at this point."

Astro hummed noncommittally. "You're probably right." Neither of them moved.

The pause between them was a little awkward, but at least it wasn't hostile. Toby considered that an improvement. Ignoring the door, he walked over to his holographic computer and turned it on with a wave of his hand over the sensor. At least it wasn't broken.

"Hey, so," he called, getting Astro's attention, "dad said that I was "dead" for months and you've been on the Surface for a while. Wanna see if there are any good video game releases?"

Dad could wait. After their conversation, they could both use a bit of a break.

The tension in Astro's shoulders faded. Toby hadn't even noticed that it was there until it was gone. Astro walked over to him gratefully. "It's a good thing that we have the same taste in games," he joked.

And, yeah. It _was_ kind of nice. Toby had never had someone who understood him, never had someone to hug him when dad wouldn't, never been given this opportunity for self-reflection.

Toby had never had a brother before. It was nice. He could get used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I know this is a short fic, but I just wanted to do something small. Toby and Astro friendship gives me life.

**Author's Note:**

> **Feel free to check out my Astro Boy blog[HERE](https://astroboy2003sub.tumblr.com) for updates on my writing and other Astro Boy content!**


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